Mental Health to split $1.3M for client housing

Mendocino County is about to spend $1.3 million to create the first permanent housing for mentally ill people in the county.

"We are looking to have one location in Ukiah and one in Fort Bragg. We have to see who answers our RFQ, but that is our intention right now," said Edith Viera, the county's Mental Health Services Act co-ordinator, at last month's Mendocino County Mental Health Board meeting.

The Mental Health Services Act, or MHSA, passed as Proposition 63 in November 2004. It raises about $1 billion statewide annually, which provides funding to counties for programs, services and buildings. MHSA imposes a 1 percent income tax on personal income in excess of $1 million.

Until recently, it was impossible to find out what Mendocino County was using MHSA money for. In the last two years, summaries and program descriptions have been posted online and discussed at Mental Health Board meetings. Mendocino County was not applying for much of the moneys it was eligible for in the past, but the State had set aside money under the act for when the county would do so.

Housing

The request for qualifications seeking housing developers and service providers was sent out Feb. 14. The responses will be opened on April 8 at a closed meeting. A committee will select and announce the developers they will work with about a week after that.

Viera explained that while the county currently has transitional housing and housing with a time limit on it for mental health clients, this would be a first.

"This type of housing doesn't exist now. ? This is actually permanent housing like for anybody else looking for permanent housing, only some of the units will be set aside for MHSA clients," Viera said.

Actually, two projects in Ukiah currently offer such housing, people at the mental health board meeting pointed out. However, the housing that now exists could be sold or converted in the future. All agreed Fort Bragg has no such permanent housing for mentally ill disabled people.

"We currently work with some landlords," Viera responded. "These units will be MHSA units and must be inhabited by MHSA clients."

Unlike similar documents from other counties, the Mendocino request for qualifications contains no local bidder preference procedure. Requirements as written are narrower here than in other counties. Some have said the Mendocino County RFQ can only be satisfied by a large hospital chain.

To be considered, an applicant must have "experience in the acquisition and management of affordable housing for people with disabilities" and also "have experience in providing social rehabilitative support services for adults with severe and persistent mental illness and co-occurring disorders."

The RFQ does allow for firms to include sub-contractors to help fit the list of six requirements. Some areas are vague in the local RFQ compared to those in other counties.

Another unclear item is if there is any rule on how many units will be for mental health clients and how many can be regular market units.

Viera said the intent is for the chosen developer get two-thirds of the money from sources such as federal HUD to blend with the local funds, although that is not stated in the RFQ. She explained that much will become clear once the county sees who is bidding.

Tom Pinizzotto, head of Mendocino County Behavioral Health, offered to explain more next week, after the RFQ documents are opened. He said it was his intent to provide all the bids once a final bidder has been selected.

County Behavioral Health currently has $1.3 million on deposit with the State to finance the capital costs associated with acquisition and/or rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing for individuals with serious mental illness (and their families).

Up to $430,800 of these funds can be used for operating expense for the life of a project but not to provide services. There is no money in the MHSA capital funds for that.

One possible reason Mendocino County's RFQ is more vague than other counties is that Mendocino has only gotten into requesting funding very recently, a look at State records shows.

Sonoma County has secured MHSA money on an annual basis in recent years. For example, the Sonoma Windsor Redwoods apartment project was completed in 2012 for a cost of $25,031,565, using $1 million in MHSA funding. Eight of the 65 units are for MHSA clients. The McMinn Avenue Shared Apartments, also completed in 2012, cost $957,192, all of which was from MHSA. All eight units are only for MHSA clients.

Humboldt County has also used the funds more than once, but other rural counties have never applied for any money.